1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of data networks and device data sharing. More particularly, in one exemplary aspect, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus enabling a heterogeneous community of devices (e.g., those which operate according to a FireWire or Ethernet AVB protocol) to interoperate seamlessly and transfer data and media (e.g., audio and video) there between.
2. Description of Related Technology
Modern electronic equipment has greatly enhanced the quality of life for many. However, as the use of such equipment has increased, so has the need to connect equipment of differing types purchased from different manufacturers. For example, while a computer and a digital camera may each be useful when used alone, the ability to connect the digital camera to the computer and exchange information (e.g., photos, video) between the two makes the combination even more useful. Therefore, a need was apparent for a serial bus standard that would allow for the connection and communication between such devices.
The IEEE 1394-1995 standard (and its associated trade names “FireWire™” (Apple Inc.), “i.LINK” (Sony), and “Lynx” (Texas Instruments), etc.) was developed to satisfy this need. This standard revolutionized the consumer electronics industry by providing a serial bus management system that featured high speeds and the ability to “hot” connect equipment to the bus; that is, the ability to connect equipment without first turning off the existing connected equipment. Since its adoption, the IEEE 1394-1995 standard has seen acceptance in the marketplace with many major electronics and computer manufacturers providing IEEE 1394-1995 connections on equipment that they sell. Several variants of IEEE 1394 have also been developed and widely deployed which improve and enhance various system characteristics (including e.g., higher speeds and longer connection paths).
In addition to IEEE 1394 based standards, a new standard being proposed at the time of the filing of the present application is herein referred to as the “Ethernet AVB standard”. Ethernet AVB is a new standard being developed for transmitting audio and video data across an 802.1 Ethernet link. Existing Ethernet standards guarantee packet delivery; Ethernet AVB is expected to provide additional capabilities enabling isochronous data transfer. Specifically, Ethernet AVB provides guarantees on maximum latency and minimum bandwidth that enable “streaming” applications, which were previously limited due to requirements for low latency isochronous transfer of audio and video.
Unsatisfied Need for Interoperability
Due to the widespread existing deployments of existing IEEE 1394 devices, and the virtually universal Ethernet infrastructure, a solution for providing interoperability for the two standards seamlessly (with respect to various types of media) would greatly enhance the overall utility of both. Such a solution does not currently exist.
Another issue relates to the increasing “disappearance” of physical ports on hardware devices such as computers, video cameras, etc. over time. These physical ports (including FireWire ports) are becoming less prolific on new generation devices because, inter alia, aggressive form factor reductions no longer allow distinct connectors for all supported I/O technologies. Thus, physical space for the port and the extra cost of the port make it a strong candidate for removal. For example, in the MacBook Air product manufactured by the Assignee hereof, connectors include only a USB port, power port and a video port. Neither a physical FireWire port nor Ethernet port are present on the device. As the number of (FireWire and other) ports disappear, so do the connectivity opportunities for devices using that port specification. Hence, in order to maintain FireWire support and distribution over such devices, other “ways off of” and “ways onto” the device are needed.
Accordingly, improved methods and apparatus are needed for providing data stream delivery between two differing protocols, such as for example Ethernet AVB, and IEEE 1394. Such an improved solution should operate seamlessly and without adversely impacting user experience on existing apparatus. Moreover, such “multi-lingual” data stream delivery would be operable without requiring undue hardware or other modification to implementations already deployed. To these ends, such data delivery schemes should minimally support “master-slave” operation, where a dynamically bridging multi-lingual device performs all translation for its localized network, without requiring its non-enabled slave devices to do so.
Multiple clients would also advantageously work cooperatively to simultaneously source and sink isochronous datastreams, each independently capable of additionally splitting or merging multiple isochronous data streams.
Lastly, such improved apparatus and methods would enable the use of IEEE 1394-compliant devices across any geography or topology, such as by piggybacking on existing Ethernet infrastructure.